Recap

Advances in Mind Control

Author and lecturer Dr. Nick Begich discussed the startling advances in the area of mind control technology for both military and private sector uses. Defining mind control as the ability to artificially influence or direct activities within an individual or group of human brains, he believes it has the potential to be the most invasive technology on the planet.

New military applications include manipulating the brain through external fields for command and control purposes, said Begich. Upcoming, we might expect electromagnetic devices that can delude people's senses, making them believe that they're seeing or hearing something that isn't really there. The goal of this is to influence the combatant but not destroy their hardware in the process, he noted. Begich cited the article The Mind Has No Firewall for further insights into militaristic approaches.

Concerns over citizens' privacy were also raised by Begich in connection with mind control. By embedding signals in radio broadcasts, for instance, people's behaviors could be manipulated, he warned. To counteract, he suggested political measures to strengthen penalties against such activities, as well as setting up whistleblower mechanisms to hold people accountable. Begich also detailed some positive applications for mind control, such as biofeedback, which has been successfully used for treating addictions.

Related Articles

A Painful Weapon

The US military is reportedly experimenting with a weapon that can cause people to experience extreme pain. The projectile-styled device is said to fire a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma. According to an article in New Scientist, it's planned for use in 2007, and "could literally knock rioters off their feet."